Work Text:
Steve stares at Robin, concern washing over him as he watches her face drop, her hand clutching onto the phone in her hand tighter. She just freezes. Staring straight ahead, no longer answering the person on the other end of the line.
Steve reaches forward, grabbing her shoulder. “Robs?”
She doesn’t respond. Steve gently tugs the phone out of her hand, bringing it up to his ear and hearing the dial tone ring out. He reaches over Robin and hangs up the phone before grabbing both her shoulders and turning her to face him. “Robin, what happened?”
Her wide eyes blink at him and her head gives a tiny shake.
Steve’s heart slams in his throat, mind running through every worst case scenario he can think of. Maybe that was one of the kids calling to say that Max– or it was Hopper, calling with news from El. They have to fight again. It’s back already. They didn’t actually win–
Steve sucks in a deep breath, closing his eyes to steady himself. He can’t help if he doesn’t actually know what’s going on. He opens his eyes again and brushes a stray hair out of Robin’s face.
“Robin, babe. I need you to tell me what’s happening. Let me help.”
Robin sucks in a shuddering breath, tears gathering in her eyes. “My parents–”
Steve’s heart sinks and he gathers Robin in his arms, holding her tight as sobs rack through her body and she soaks the front of his shirt.
–
Steve cracks open the door to Robin’s room with a soft knock. They’ve been in this apartment for a few weeks. Steve couldn’t let her go back to that empty house, and didn't want to go back to his. Got them into the first place he could afford when things finally died down. He insisted on giving her the bigger room, even though most nights end with both of them piled in Steve’s bed.
Steve walks over to where Robin is buried in blankets on her bed, crouching down and running his thumb along her cheek. “Hey, Robs. You wanna come eat some dinner? I ordered Chinese.”
Rob shakes her head, pulling the blanket up close around her face. Steve sighs, leaning in to press his forehead to hers. “You gotta eat, babe.”
Robin just closes her eyes and takes a shuddering breath. Steve presses a kiss to her cheek and smooths her hair before getting up again.
“Okay. I’ll come back and check on you in a little bit.”
He eases himself out of her room, shutting the door behind him. Not all days are this bad. Sometimes Robin even manages to be out of her room the majority of the day. Sometimes Steve can coax her into coming with him to run errands, or visit Max. Sometimes he sees a glimpse of her again. A snarky remark will slip through, a hint of that laugh he misses so much. But on days like today, it’s like he’s living with the ghost of his best friend. No matter what he does he can’t seem to find her. Can’t seem to break through the layers of grief that surround her. So he tries to just make sure she knows he’s there. In whatever way she needs.
He gives her another hour before he warms up some of the dinner he’d hoped would pull her from her room and heads back down the hall. He knocks to let her know he’s coming in and then sets the food on the table by her bed before climbing in with her and wrapping his arms around her from behind. She sucks in a deep breath, and he can tell she’s fighting tears. Knows she’s tired of them. But he also knows if she stops fighting them so hard, she might feel a little better. Might be able to eat and settle her empty stomach. Might be able to sleep tonight.
He rubs her shoulder with one arm and pulls her in tight with the other. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”
Robin lets out a heavy sigh that turns into a sob and he feels her slump against him. He holds her through it, whispering reassurances until she finally catches her breath and wipes her face on her sleeve. She turns to look at him over her shoulder and he gives her a gentle smile.
Robin shifts and presses her face against his chest. “Thank you.”
Steve rubs her back and shakes his head. “You don’t have to thank me babe. It’s what I’m here for.” He holds her for another minute before nudging her back and looking at her with pleading eyes. “Will you try to eat something for me?”
Robin sighs but nods her head and pulls herself to sit against the headboard, reaching over to snap an eggroll off her plate. She takes a big bite, making a huge show of chewing and swallowing.
Steve huffs out a laugh and bumps her with his shoulder, savoring this glimpse before she’s gone again and the ghost returns.